This invention was the subject matter of Document Disclosure Program Registration No. 243,574 which was filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office on Jan. 18, 1990.
As can be seen by reference to the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,429,551; 4,381,069; 4,564,167; and 4,625,900; the prior art is replete with myriad and diverse outboard motor stands of both the movable and stationary variety.
While all of the aforementioned prior art constructions are more than adequate for the basic purpose and function for which they have been specifically designed, these patented structures are uniformly deficient with respect to the degree of flexibility and range of motion that they afford to the user in the mounting and dismounting of the outboard motor relative to the support device.
Furthermore, virtually all of the movable prior art constructions make no provision whatsoever to minimize the effective weight of the outboard motor during the unloading and loading stages, and rely instead on the user to manhandle the motor off of, and onto, the support device.
As a consequence of the foregoing situation, there has existed a longstanding need for an articulated, pivotable, outboard motor stand apparatus that offers a degree of flexibility and maneuverability unavailable in prior art constructions, plus incorporating relatively heavy spring biasing to offset the weight of the outboard motor, and the provision of such a construction is a stated objective of the present invention.